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Do I need to register the copyright on my screenplay before I submit it?
How do I register my screenplay?
I'm trying to register my screenplay with the Writer's Guild. Should I use the Writer's Guild West or Writer's Guild East?
Why do Contestants have to be 18 years old to participate?
Is there a page requirement for my screenplay?
What is "Industry Standard" Screenplay format?
How do I convert my screenplay into PDF format?
How do I submit my screenplay?
My computer stinks, and I am worried that I won't be able to properly convert my screenplay to PDF. Can't I just submit a Word document?
What is the deadline for submitting my screenplay?
Why the change in rules? I thought the whole point was that the winner of the contest gets to direct his or her screenplay?
Can the same person win both the Screenplay Contest and the Director Contest?
Will it cost me money to submit my screenplay?
Why do we have to pay this year, when it was free the last time around?
How many screenplays am I allowed to submit?
Can I submit something that I have written in the past?
Are we allowed to have writing partners? If so, how many partners can we have?
Can I submit one screenplay as the only writer and another with a partner?
If I can't finish my screenplay on time, can I submit a treatment or detailed outline?
What is a log line?
What is the promised budget of the Winning Screenplay?
Am I at a disadvantage if my screenplay appears to cost more money to make?
Is there a particular style in which my screenplay should be written?
Will a more commercial film help my chances of winning?
Am I still eligible to participate in the contest if I have previously submitted my screenplay for consideration to another Internet site, or to an agent, or another third party, so long as I have not accepted any third party's offer on the screenplay or agreed to other restrictions on the screenplay?
If I'm a U.S. citizen but I'm currently living in a foreign country, can I still become a Contestant?
I'm a legal resident of a U.S. territory, like Puerto Rico or Guam. Can I participate?
How do I withdraw from the contest?
Do I need to register the copyright on my screenplay before I submit it?
Yes, all submitted screenplays must be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office and the WGA prior to being considered in the contest. Also, if you win, you will need to be able to provide us with your submission registration number for both the U.S. Copyright Office (see http://www.loc.gov/copyright/forms/) and the Writer's Guild (see http://www.wga.org/registration/register-online.html). These organizations represent the best lines of defense for your work. While registration can't prevent someone from plagiarizing your work, it can provide you with certain legal advantages in the event there's ever a dispute. So please take the time to register your screenplay now.
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How do I register my screenplay?
Both the U.S. Copyright Office (see http://www.loc.gov/copyright/forms/) and the WGA (see http://www.wga.org/registration/register-online.html) will take you through the process with relative ease on their respective web sites. The WGA will even send you a nifty certificate that proves you have officially registered your intellectual property.
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I'm trying to register my screenplay with the Writer's Guild. Should I use the Writer's Guild West or Writer's Guild East?
Writers who live east of the Mississippi should use the registration service from Writer's Guild East, available at http://www.wgaeast.org/cgi-bin/script_registration. Writers who live west of the Mississippi should use the registration service from Writer's Guild West, available at http://www.wga.org/registration/register-online.html. If you have already registered your script with the WGA and believe you have registered with the "wrong" division (west or east), don't worry. So long as you have properly registered with either of the WGA divisions, you have satisfied the Greenlight WGA registration requirement.
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Why do Contestants have to be 18 years old to participate?
For obvious legal reasons, minors cannot participate in a contest in which the prize would require full time employment for several months. Also, in order to participate in the contest, you will be required to enter into certain agreements (such as agreeing to the Official Rules), and potentially other agreements, should you advance. Most states do not allow people under 18 to enter into such agreements. Check the Official Rules for the legal mumbo jumbo.
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Is there a page requirement for my screenplay?
All submitted screenplays must be between 80-140 pages to be considered in the Screenplay Contest, the typical length for a feature screenplay. Each page equals about a minute of screen time.
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What is "Industry Standard" Screenplay format?
If you have read or written a screenplay in the past, you are most likely familiar with the way screenplays are formatted. Tabs, margins, fonts, page numbering, spacing, all have specifications to which your screenplay must adhere. If you are unfamiliar with how a screenplay typically looks, and this all seems a bit daunting, do not despair. Manually formatting might take a bit of time and research, but you can find some starter guidelines here How To Apply "Industry Standard" format to your Screenplay and some Resources that will lead you to find out more. There is a good amount of screenwriting software on the market that can do this automatically, including MovieMagic Screenwriter 2000TM, the official screenwriting software of Project Greenlight, which can be bought on our website at 40% below the retail price. That being said, the use of said software is not required to enter or win and offers no advantage in terms of how you fare in the Screenplay Contest.
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How do I convert my screenplay into PDF format?
See Convert your Screenplay to PDF format in our How To section.
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How do I submit my screenplay?
See Submit your Screenplay in our How To section for step-by-step instructions on how to upload your screenplay.
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My computer stinks, and I am worried that I won't be able to properly convert my screenplay to PDF. Can't I just submit a Word document?
Unfortunately, no. Project Greenlight will NOT accept any screenplays that are not in PDF format, no exceptions. It is crucial to use standard format so that Reviewers can give every screenplay a fair review. If your computer, as you say, stinks, go over to your friend's house and use theirs, or find an alternative resource like Kinko's. It is up to you to get your screenplay submitted on time, and in the proper format.
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What is the deadline for submitting my screenplay?
Please refer to Timeline. After the Submission Period ends, it will be physically impossible, and against the rules, to submit a screenplay.
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Why the change in rules? I thought the whole point was that the winner of the contest gets to direct his or her screenplay?
The spirit of PGL remains the same. The point of the original contest was to find a talented writer/director who just needed to break through Hollywood's gates. But in Hollywood, writer/directors are more the exception than the rule. Most are one or the other, and this year's contest will produce two winners. The change is designed to keep Project Greenlight new and fresh, and true to the Hollywood experience.
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Can the same person win both the Screenplay Contest and the Director Contest?
Yes, the same person can win both contests.
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Will it cost me money to submit my screenplay?
It costs $30 to submit your screenplay. The good news is you can submit as many screenplays as you want, at a cost of $30 per.
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Why do we have to pay this year, when it was free the last time around?
While we do realize it is never fun to pay for anything on the web, the $30 is an administration fee necessary to cover our basic costs. We tried to keep it as reasonable as possible, and we sincerely hope you understand.
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How many screenplays am I allowed to submit?
If you are willing to pay the $30 submission fee for every entry, and can invest the time to complete the submission requirements for each entry, there is no limit to how many times you enter the contest. Of course, each screenplay can only be submitted once.
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Can I submit something that I have written in the past?
Yes. If you wrote a terrific full-length feature four years ago that has done nothing but collect dust, please submit it. Your screenplay obviously does not need to be expressly written for the contest. Of course, any screenplay you do submit must adhere to all technical and formatting parameters.
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Are we allowed to have writing partners? If so, how many partners can we have?
Similar to last year, Teams are allowed to participate in the Screenplay Contest. When submitting your screenplay, you will be asked if you would like to designate up to two Team Members (the maximum number on any Team is three, including yourself), and you will enter their Project Greenlight User Names. Any Team Members you assign to your screenplay must be registered on the web site, and must have accepted the Participation Agreement beforehand. As Team Captain, the onus is on you to fulfill all the submission requirements associated with your entry. Your Team can share in the responsibility, but all review requirements will go strictly to the Team Captain. In other words, if you are a Member of a Team, but not the Team Captain, and you wish to review one of the required screenplays or scenes, you must obtain the User Name and Password of your Team Captain and enter the site through his or her User Name. The reason for this is that Team Members who are NOT the Team Captain, will be unable to access the review requirements for their Screenplay Submission through their own User Name.
(A note on Teams: If you have already submitted a screenplay on your own and you plan to submit an additional screenplay with teammates, we recommend that you NOT designate yourself the Team Captain. By allowing another team member to act as Captain, you will not be lumping your personal review requirements with your team's requirements.)
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Can I submit one screenplay as the only writer and another with a partner?
Yes you can. But for every screenplay you submit, you are on the hook to complete the requirements for Screenplay Submissions as specified in the Official Rules of the contest. So if you submit one screenplay on your own and are the Team Captain for an additional screenplay, you must then complete the submission requirements twice.
(A note on Teams: If you have already submitted a screenplay on your own and you plan to submit an additional screenplay with teammates, we recommend that you NOT designate yourself the Team Captain. By allowing another team member to act as Captain, you will not be lumping your personal reviews requirements with your team's requirements.)
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If I can't finish my screenplay on time, can I submit a treatment or detailed outline?
We will not accept ANYTHING but a full-length, feature screenplay in PDF format. If the third act of your screenplay is in outline form because you ran out of time, you will be disqualified.
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What is a log line?
A log line is a one or two sentence description of a screenplay. Here's an example of a log line for the winning screenplay from the first Project Greenlight Contest, "Stolen Summer," "Two eight year old boys, one Jewish, one Irish Catholic, form an unlikely friendship during the summer of 1976 in Chicago, when the Irish Catholic boy goes on a quest to get his new friend into heaven." The log line seeks to capture the plot in a nutshell and give the reader a general idea of what they are about to read.
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What is the promised budget of the Winning Screenplay?
Miramax Films has guaranteed a $1 million production budget and a theatrical release for the chosen film.
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Am I at a disadvantage if my screenplay appears to cost more money to make?
In a word, yes. Do not write a screenplay that would cost $40 million dollars to make into a feature film. It may be great, and it may even be better than everyone else's screenplay. But budget is a consideration in deciding the winner. Just keep in mind that car chases through San Francisco, sinking cruise ships that hit icebergs, and writing in roles that must be played by Marlon Brando, will be liabilities. This does not mean you need to hire a line producer to budget your screenplay as you write it. Just bear in mind that cost of production is part of the criteria in this contest.
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Is there a particular style in which my screenplay should be written?
The screenplay must be written for a live action feature film that would qualify for a "G," "PG," "PG-13," or "R" rating. No animated shorts or pilots please. Please see Official Rules for more information.
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Will a more commercial film help my chances of winning?
When writing a screenplay, it is always important to ask yourself who your audience is. If your mom and dad are the only two people who would appreciate your movie, consider revising your screenplay. That being said, not every movie needs to be "Spiderman." Find your audience, tell your story.
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Am I still eligible to participate in the contest if I have previously submitted my screenplay for consideration to another Internet site, or to an agent, or another third party, so long as I have not accepted any third party's offer on the screenplay or agreed to other restrictions on the screenplay?
The mere fact that you have submitted your work elsewhere in the past does not disqualify you from participating in Project Greenlight, if you otherwise meet all of the eligibility requirements set forth in the Official Rules (including restrictions on participation by "Professionals" -- see the Official Rules for complete details). However, you should be aware that many contests, Internet sites, and agents place certain restrictions on your ability to use your screenplay while it is under submission to the contest, site, or agent. Make sure to check the rules of any other contest you may have entered, and/or the submissions policy of any Internet site or agent to which you may have submitted your screenplay, and double-check the Participation Agreement and Official Rules for the Project Greenlight Contest to be sure that you are eligible to participate in Project Greenlight.
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If I'm a U.S. citizen but I'm currently living in a foreign country, can I still become a Contestant?
Probably not. In order to participate in the contest, in addition to meeting all of the other eligibility requirements set forth in the Official Rules, you must be a legal resident of one of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia (specifically excluding Puerto Rico and all other territories) (we call this area the "Eligibility Area"). If you are temporarily living in a foreign country, but are still a legal resident in the Eligibility Area (i.e., you are on temporary assignment to another country for your job), you might be eligible to participate. However, if you have changed your residence to a location outside the Eligibility Area, we're sorry, but you are not eligible to participate in the contest, even if you are a U.S. citizen. It's not that we wouldn't love to have you, but we've implemented this rule primarily for legal reasons (most U.S. contests are similarly limited for legal reasons), and because we wanted to simplify the contest parameters.
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I'm a legal resident of a U.S. territory, like Puerto Rico or Guam. Can I participate?
Unfortunately, only legal residents of one of the fifty (50) United States (not including Vermont) or the District of Columbia (specifically excluding Puerto Rico and all other territories) (we call this area the "Eligibility Area") may participate. We have limited entry to participants from the Eligibility Area primarily for legal reasons. We hope you understand. If our lawyers let us open up our contests to other participants in the future (and we're working on them!), we'd love to have you participate. Because we require a submission fee of $30, residents of Vermont are legally forbidden from submitting materials into either contest. However, we hope residents of these two states will participate as Reviewers.
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How do I withdraw from the contest?
We're sorry to see you go, but if you'd like to withdraw from the Project Greenlight Contest, send an email to withdraw@projectgreenlight.com, give us your name, User Name, and the name of your screenplay, and we will note the information and your intent to withdraw. Please remember that once you send us your notification of withdrawal, you will no longer be eligible to compete in or to win the contest. Also, please remember that the withdrawal or disqualification of any member of a Team results may result in the disqualification of that entire Team. See the Official Rules for complete details.
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